Neizes (Iberian Levy Spearmen)
While better able to stand up in melee than most skirmishers, these spearmen are still lightly equipped and should not be expected to hold their own against armoured troops. Description The Neizes are composed by the richest among the poorest population. Unlike the Iberian reguli that have productive crops and export to the Greek and Phoenician cities their abundant surplus of wine, oil, wheat, barley, esparto grass and flax with those they defray their great sculptures and their expensive weapons, or the Celtiberian elites that concentrate the wealth through the control of the grazing areas, the saltworks and the iron production or the Lusitanian chiefs that gain wealth for his community through his loyal band of clientes; shepherds-warriors, who take care of his plentiful cattles through the transhumance, and in this way take advantage of their march in foreign lands plundering the fields, obtaining booty and trading their products, only a small part of the Hispanic levy are fortunate enough to have a piece of infertile soil where they cultivate some basic cereals and legumes like field bean, chickpeas or lentils for the personal consumption or have a poor cattle. The remaining part of the group are less fortunate; they work the richest elites' lands or they take care of the cattle, however all them engage in fishing and in hunting, in this way they supplement their economic livelihoods. The Hispanic levy enter battle with a small caetra, some javelins with amentum and a spear, they are capable to use their abilities to annoy the enemy with a hateful rain of javelins, however they also can fight in close formation beside their comrades, like the better equipped Iberian, Celtiberian and Lusitanian warriors do, if necessary. However the Hispanic levy will not withstand a charge by heavier infantry and are easy prey for most cavalry, but they are not soft men: maybe their equipment is poor but their souls are rich. They prefer to fight only when their lands are in danger because they cannot afford to lose what little they have, however they are able to participate in the regional plundering against their neighbours if they can obtain some additional wealth through the distributing the loot after the battle. A precarious life with a simple diet makes a man dangerous; he becomes as cruel as the necessity he calls life. His wanderings at the side of cattle or his fighting against Mother Earth to obtain foodstuff, give him a stamina which many others lack. If employed as skirmishers, scouts and ambushers these men can prove their worth in battle; sowing the furrows of the enemy lines with javelins, before withdrawing to the trees to cut down foes who seek refuge there. Historically the spear was the main weapon in the Ancient Mediterranean until the success of the gladius hispaniensis and the emergence of the Roman cohort. Spears were used by Celtiberian and Iberian societies from before the Iron Age until the Romanization. Since the Iberian "Early Phase" (c. 550 BC - c. 400 BC) the thrusting spear was the main weapon, it had a spearhead up to 60cm long with a heavy spear butt, at the same time the soliferrum (a throwing all-iron javelin that played the same role that the roman pilum played) appeared. During the "Middle Phase" (c. 400 BC - c. 230 BC) the right to bear arms had been extended to an extensive part of the Iberian and Celtiberian society, in this way from that time until the Romanization the warriors from the Iberian Peninsula were able to make some effective ambushes (especially against Romans), however they always fought in pitched battles in sort formation by a multitude of warriors, this fact was not the exception but the rule in Spain (for example time later, Hannibal trusted his Iberian mercenaries to hold position in the centre of his line against the Romans and Scipio used his Iberian allies as the second class line infantry in the battle of Ilipa). Returning to the subject of the spears, during this period this weapon became shorter (the iron spearhead was 20 cm to 40 cm), in addition their blades became wider. During the "Late Phase" (c. 230 BC - c. 100 BC) the spearheads became of small size and many of them without central rib and the soliferra and the javelins were still used, finally during the Romanization, the warrior from the Iberian Peninsula was used as an auxilia, that fought as a light soldier, by the Romans. Category:Units Category:Units available only in EB2 Category:Arevaci Category:Lusotannan